Hook up to mains water
Hi everybody,
This may seem a stupid question but the wife and i are new to owning a caravan , id like to hook to mains water and was wondering how long a hose i would need to get to fit my bailey caravan. we've not been on a site yet so have no idea.
Many thanks Paul
Comments
-
You will need to book a serviced pitch to be able to hook up directly to the water and waste.
You will need this sort of equipment to use your aquaroll
You get 8 mts of hose which should be sufficient for CC site but you might need longer for commercial sites so another 8 mts and a connector would be a good buy.
If you use Google to search on this topic there is a wealth of information out there.
0 -
If you have a truma system then this is the connection for water supply:
https://www.truma.com/uk/en/water-systems/ultraflow-waterline.php
You also need to look to waste water disposal. This article is useful and illustrates what is required:
https://caravanchronicles.com/2013/05/26/connecting-your-drainage-on-serviced-pitches/
We use both of the above to good effect.
0 -
Direct connection systems such as the Truma Ultraflow Waterline carry a risk of damage to the van and van flooding if they fail to operate as designed; as can happen with debris getting in the shutoff valve within the regulator.
Failure to shut off the flow with the systems refilling an Aquaroll or other external container only lead to flooding of the pitch, not the van or over pressurising the van's water heater and water system.
It might be argued the risk of these systems ever going wrong is remote but no body can argue that the consequences of over pressurising the caravan are anything but serious.
2 -
Not if you have a caravan that is made of materials that are not subject to water absorption. That have no requirement for a damp test due to those materials. Thankfully, despite the poor assembly of common poor quality parts we rest assured water leaking
in the caravan hasn't caused any issues thus far, speaks the hubby of someone who left a tap running with a plug in the sink!!
Happily
counter argued from a stand of experience not theoryAn alternative measure of reassurance if required is to close the tap to the Truma Waterline if not drawing water or off pitch.
My glass is half full, what's yours.
0 -
KeefySher's comment IMO is also something to bear in mind. 'An alternative measure of reassurance if required is to close the tap to the Truma Waterline if not drawing water or off pitch.'
Maybe also turning off the tap before going to bed at night.0 -
Not if you have a caravan that is made of materials that are not subject to water absorption.
An alternative measure of reassurance if required is to close the tap to the Truma Waterline if not drawing water or off pitch.
I have not ever had one where flooding of the structure and carpeting, plus risking blowing up my £2000 Alde and other bits, can be so readily dismissed .
Turning off the supply rather defeats the purpose, over pressure damage still exists even whilst the van is occupied.
As a system designer, I seek to design out obvious serious consequences risks.
0 -
Not if you have a caravan that is made of materials that are not subject to water absorption.
An alternative measure of reassurance if required is to close the tap to the Truma Waterline if not drawing water or off pitch.
I have not ever had one where flooding of the structure and carpeting, plus risking blowing up my £20000 Alde and other bits, can be so readily dismissed .
Turning off the supply rather defeats the purpose, over pressure damage still exists even whilst the van is occupied.
As a system designer, I seek to design out obvious serious consequences risks.
Do you design out the 51 litres of a Waterhog, or whatever container you attach to the inlet? 51 or so litres sloshing/spraying about in a water absorbing caravan such as yours could probably do some serious damage
Wow a £20k Alde system, what system designer designed that to fit in a £25k caravan, no wonder the other parts are poor quality.
The waterflow has a pressure reducing valve inline.
The world used to be flat, and as a kid I fell off me bike
It ain't and I still cycle 0 -
I've had both systems and, for me, the better system is the valve in the Aquaroll (or similar container). Pressure reduction systems reduce the pressure so much that the flow is severly affected especially a shower. There is also the possibility of failure
of the reducer that then blows one of the connections in the caravan and sod's law says the connector will be in a totally inaccesible place.With the valve in the Aquaroll the pressure in the caravan, which is delivered from the normal pump whether external or inboard, is excatly the same as it would be without the valve in the barrel. All the valve does is automatically keep the Aquaroll topped
up at all times (albeit to only about 50% but that makes no difference whatsoever).4 -
In the end it is down to personal choice. I did think about a direct connection, but decided against, for many of the reasons mentioned. As we are retired we tend to tour for a month or so and, as all sites are not serviced, are carrying an aquaroll and
waste master in any case. We have had an aquaroll valve failure and the pitch got a bit wet. Personally my risk assessment rules out the direct attachment. The aquaroll can be left connected to the tap at all times. We turn the water pump off as we leave,
switch is by the door. So the system is relatively risk free.0 -
Do you design out the 51 litres of a Waterhog, or whatever container you attach to the inlet? 51 or so litres sloshing/spraying about in a water absorbing caravan such as yours could probably do some serious damage
The waterflow has a pressure reducing valve inline.
Yes,by knowing that has to magically get the pump connected to a supply of 12 volts to lift it up from the Aquaroll and again magically get up to an over pressure situation to leak out into the van or break anything.
Having a pressure reducing valve is its issue, unless it is infalable.
As has been said its all about risk assessment; I believe where the consequences are dire, and avoidable, the risk is not worth taking.
1 -
We were gifted a pressure reduction system from a retiring caravanner. Second time out we stayed on a CL where the Water Pressure was too high and caused problems so we bought a valve system as John mentioned.
Works fine. Plus I think it's safer.
0 -
I always carry about 20m of blue hose in the van - split into three unequal lengths with connectors which covers most situations. It also makes it easier to store. I prefer the Aquaroll ball valve system for the reasons mentioned above.
But - I also have a 4-way tap splitter because a lot of the CLs / CS's we go to have plenty of taps spread around - not one to every pitch - but nearly. That means I can usually plumb into the water and still allow others to do so if they wish - or to use the tap as normal.
I am also a big fan of the Colapz waste pipe and carry 8m in the van all the time. It's so much easier to store than a great length of plastic pipe or rigid pipes. I've tried both and it's just too much messing about.
0 -
WN - Yes I do - simply because one of the kits I bought, included them. They are actually very strong metal pegs with a curved top that fits around the pipe and they work on hardstandings without bending at all. Obviously they're fine on grass.
I must admit, though - that I've only had to use them a couple of times where it has been necessary to create a gentle 'fall' on the pipes - most of the time they aren't necessary.
Go on - spoil her - I'm sure she would really appreciate them
0 -
Having large water tanks we don't need barrels and pumps, just a hose to fill once and that lasts for 6 days if showering in the van and 10-12 if using site showers.
however, I have used a long waste pipe (rolled and stored in a bag, £5) for CLs or the odd serviced pitch but haven't found the need for anything other than laying it on the ground. The biggest factor would be if the drain is higher or lower than the van outlet.
I also haven't felt the need to invest £65 (Amazon) on 8 sections of plastic hose. That's about four nights on our winter Spanish site😉
I can just I imagine the conversation (extremely short and loud) should I dare to offer the above as an anniversary present. It's 45 years for us next week, we won't be camping👍
1 -
We have used both and in my opinion the Colapz are worth every penny, particularly when it’s cold. So much easier than wrestling with a coiled plastic snake, that has no intention of going where you want it or laying flat on the ground.
We enjoyed our anniversary (48) away in the MH.😀
1 -
Yes very true about the plastic pipes. We have a few rigid pipes, exactly the same as those used at home with some right angle connections and some home made devices to keep them off the ground.
0 -
When we use a serviced pitch I don't leave the water connected but just top up as and when with the hose. No real need in a motorhome as you have quite a bit of water storage built in. For waste I use a couple of washing machine/dishwasher waste pipes connected together. You can get them in B&Q at a reasonable price. They are more pliable than the standard 22mm ribbed piping and tend to lay flat on the ground. It probably won't apply to all but the end of the pipe has a slip on connector which neatly fits onto my waste outlet.
David
0 -
Thanks folks. As I thought I'll have to invest in some. Can't make them myself Kj as dominant right hand still not working properly after Stroke.
Decided against anniversary present. Did think of wrapping them for Xmas but suspect I'll just earn some Brownie points by buying them as a thoughtful gift.
We already have the pipes and connections and we have been on some CLs that the drainage to the hedge slopes upwards.0 -
As it happens, I have a rectangular 'bucket' that fits under the waste pipe so if I didn't want to use any pipework I could easily dump the single bucketload we get each day.
in general, this works as well as using a pipe or even a drive over waste. The decision to use which method depends on the site/aire and its facilities (or not).
absolutely no point (for us) in having (paying for) an SP as we wouldn't be there long enough to run out of water, the tap would be superfluous.
0 -
Colapz waste pipes are handy and easy to store, but are unforgiving when someone steps on them.
0 -
Or you forget they are there and drive your car over them
I have a spare two in the locker which are there for use as a 'last resort' - that suffered that fate.
0 -
Concur, our 2008 coachman has the 2 x outlets at the rear of the van, great if you go rear in and the facilities are at the rear of the pitch but most tend to be half way down the pitch, and if you go nose in which we do on a couple of our favourite sites then you need 8 mtrs of piping to get to the drain, also the pipes run along the underside of the van from the kitchen and bathroom and are tight to the underside so we have to tilt the van slightly to the rear when pitching otherwise you have to wait an age for the sinks or the shower to clear
Colapz sell a range of very handy collapsible items, great if you are short on space and need to save some weight but it is pricey, we still trundle around in a 5 berth so lots of space 
0 -
We regularly use mains water hook-up and grey water disposal in the UK, France, Spain and Portugal. We find an Aquaroll fitted with a float valve works perfectly and is fail safe, so our caravan system is never exposed to accidental pressure from a relief valve failure. An aquaroll is always handy if for some reason you cannot hook up to mains water. We have a 15m and a spare 10m collapsible ribbon supply hose on two reels. These do not take a lot of space and are light in weight. I always carry a box of various combinations of Hozelock fittings including tap splitters to cover various types of pitch fittings,
For grey water we have a Y fitting from the caravan outlets with grey corrugated drainage pipe. This goes into a single grey waste pipe about 10m long into the disposal point. This is sometimes a bit short so we carry a 10m extension with a simple push-on connector. Carry a spare connector they are easily lost. Again this pipe is very light and easy to store. I always carry electrical zip tidies for keeping cables and hoses under control.
Peter.
0
